MARKOWITZ: A doctor’s orders: Connecticut needs a child tax credit – Yale Daily News
MARKOWITZ: A doctor’s orders: Connecticut needs a child tax credit
As a pediatrician working in a busy primary care clinic in New Haven, I routinely ask parents about what food their children eat for breakfast, how many words they know, if they feel down or sad and how often they need to use a certain medication. However, I never expected to be asking, “Are you planning to file taxes this year?” For the past six years I have been doing just that.
Some will argue we cannot afford this benefit. But as a pediatrician, I know that investing in children’s health early prevents far more expensive crises down the road. The research is crystal clear: children in financially secure households are healthier, perform better in school and grow into more productive adults. Every dollar spent reducing child poverty today yields future savings, including lower healthcare costs, fewer demands on social services and increased earnings. A child tax credit is a prescription for immediate economic relief and long-term social health.
Next month, Governor Lamont SOM ’80 and our legislators will begin negotiating the state’s next budget and Connecticut’s tax revenues are stronger than ever. We should join our neighbors in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Jersey, and New York and finally prioritize families in our tax code.
As a pediatrician, my commitment is to the health and well-being of my patients. A child tax credit is a proven strategy to improve the lives of children and families — and it’s time for Connecticut to take action.
MOLLY MARKOWITZ is a pediatrician who works for the Yale Department of Pediatrics and Fair Haven Community Health Care. She can be reached at molly.markowitz@yale.edu.